- 12 Monkeys directed by Terry Gilliam (1995)
[7/10]
"We come to expect the ending, but I felt somewhat disappointed with the conclusion, which left me with an empty feeling like an unfulfilled promise."
- 21 directed by Robert Luketic (2008)
[5/10]
"The camera and the film editor do more work than the actors. We see hundreds of close up shots of casino chips, winning blackjack hands, and brief shots of the actors' faces smiling in flushed glee. The film relies on the rush of emotions viewers will feel in response to the large sums of money and not the acting."
- All the King's Men directed by Steven Zaillian (2007)
[3/10]
"Terrible editing, overblown acting by Penn, and underdeveloped characterization make All the King's Men not worth seeing. The depth of character that earned Robert Penn Warren a Pulitzer prize never appears in Zaillian's emaciated screenplay and leaves us with a shallow, uninteresting film."
- American Gangster directed by Ridley Scott (2007)
[6/10]
"From the trailers, I expected to see scene after scene of gore and violence, but I was pleasantly surprised at the intellectual comparison of these 'real life' characters from our recent past."
- Apt Pupil directed by Bryan Singer (1998)
[6/10]
"Ian McKellen and Brad Renfro provide the life force in Apt Pupil, but even with such good efforts, the final act leaves us wanting more."
- Argent de Poche, L' [Small Change] directed by François Truffaut (1976)
[7/10]
"François Truffaut returns to filming a classroom full of children with the theme that children exist in a state of grace -- they pass untouched through dangers that would destroy an adult."
- Artificial Intelligence: A.I. directed by Steven Spielberg (2001)
[7/10]
"I appreciate all the interesting moral and philosophical questions Spielberg introduces in A.I., and the movie does manage to keep your interest -- espically visually -- for the almost three-hour running time."
- Beowulf (2007)
[4/10]
"The low quality animation made me feel like I was watching a cut scene from a video game. For the entire film, I kept getting the feeling that at any moment the cut scene would end, and I would have to take up the game controller to battle the monsters."
- Boondock Saints, The directed by Troy Duffy (1999)
[7/10]
"The Boondock Saints presents an interesting conundrum. When you look back at the plot, the movie really doesn't have too much substance. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed watching The Boondock Saints."
- Brokeback Mountain directed by Ang Lee (2005)
[10/10]
"All the elements of Brokeback Mountain come together to create a transcendent experience that lingers in your mind for days after you watch the film."
- Capote directed by Bennett Miller (2005)
[8/10]
"Bennett Miller does an excellent job creating an overall tone and mood in Capote that simultaneously evokes the 1950s but also stays subtle enough to work as a canvas for Capote's character."
- Charly directed by Ralph Nelson (1968)
[6/10]
"Cliff Robertson does an excellent job portraying the various aspects of Charly's personality, for which he earned an Oscar, but overall the heavy-handed anti-science themes and now anachronistic presentation style overburden the story line for a less-than-pleasing effect."
- Cheaper by the Dozen 2 directed by Adam Shankman (2005)
[5/10]
"All of the twenty child actors seem to have good acting abilities, but with so many children in the cast the kids get about as much screen time as a cameo role in this movie dominated by Martin and Levy."
- Choristes, Les [The Chorus] directed by Christophe Barratier (2004)
[7/10]
"I generally don't like warm-fuzzy feel-good movies, but this one handles the plot well, develops the characters in a believable way, and has some pleasant music along the way."
- Chronicles of Narnia, The: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe directed by Andrew Adamson (2005)
[8/10]
"On the whole, Adamson has faithfully captured the essence of Lewis's book and given a movie audience the adventure story it expects."
- Cider House Rules, The directed by Lasse Hallström (1999)
[6/10]
"Movies often use an innocent outsider like Homer to bring the viewer a new perspective of contemporary issues. The Cider House Rules effectively uses this cliched character to present its pro-abortion agenda. As Homer falls in love (and has sex), he must adjust his views on abortion, especially when faced with the implications of the unwanted pregnancies of Rose, a fellow apple picker. "
- City of Angels directed by Brad Silberling (1998)
[7/10]
"Although constructed almost entirely of cliches, City of Angels rallys its cliches synergistically to produce a pleasing, though predictable, story."
- Corrina, Corrina directed by Jessie Nelson (1994)
[7/10]
"Corrina, Corrina takes a tender and careful look at death, loss, and healing from the point of view of a seven-year-old girl Molly (Tina Majorino) in the 1950s."
- Crash directed by Paul Haggis (2005)
[8/10]
"Crash demonstrates that everyone makes decisions based on preconceived ideas about race. Regardless of our racial background, we make decisions about how we react to and treat other people based on racial profiling."
- Da Vinci Code, The directed by Ron Howard (2006)
[5/10]
"The Da Vinci Code has some better than average chase scenes and a few tense moments, but doesn't deliver the major punch at the end one would expect from all the hype."
- Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys, The directed by Peter Care (2002)
[7/10]
"The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys tells a touching story that really captures the essence of growing up as a teenage boy in a staunch Catholic family, and in spite of all the anachronisms, I found the movie completely engaging."
- Dead Zone, The directed by David Cronenberg (1983)
[6/10]
"As a Stephen King adaptation, I'd have to say this one does an excellent job of creating a believable world where you can accept the characters as people and believe in the character's strange abilities."
- Devil Wears Prada, The directed by David Frankel (2006)
[6/10]
"I recommend seeing The Devil Wears Prada to watch Streep's amazing performance, but don't expect much from the emaciated storyline -- thin as a Runway model and with about the same I.Q."
- Devil's Own, The directed by Alan J. Pakula (1997)
[5/10]
"Ford and Pitt have enough charisma and talent to carry most of the scenes, but by the end, all the scenes don't make a very satisfying, or even logical, plot."
- Donnie Darko: The Director's Cut directed by Richard Kelly (2001)
[7/10]
"Generally I liked Donnie Darko, but I think the ambiguous ending and the cultural commentary distracted from an otherwise well-made film."
- Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story directed by John Gatins (2005)
[5/10]
"Russell's performance doesn't provide any new insight into fatherhood or raising horses, although he does put up a nice argument for a diverse workplace when he defends his Hispanic staff."
- Dreamgirls directed by Bill Condon (2006)
[7/10]
"Dreamgirls provides a fun, musical and visual experience without a whole lot of character depth. Tap your toe, enjoy the fun, but don't look too deeply into the storyline."
- Enemy at the Gates directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud (2001)
[8/10]
"Vassili Zaitsev shot 149 Germans during the 1942 battle for Stalingrad. Enemy at the Gates depicts Vassili and his legendary duel with the German sniper Major Konig."
- Eraserhead directed by David Lynch (1977)
[7/10]
"I think much of the appeal of Eraserhead lies in its ambiguous events and meaning. Because Lynch doesn't make his intentions clear, he leaves the viewer wide open to project personal meaning onto the film."
- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind directed by Michel Gondry (2004)
[7/10]
"Aside from the medical and ethical questions, Eternal Sunshine explores the nature of attraction and the development of relationships. It asks whether a natural attraction exists between two people. Clearly, the writers believe so, since Joel and Clementine feel drawn to each other repeatedly."
- Fight Club directed by David Fincher (1999)
[6/10]
"Rarely, a movie comes along that captures the essence of a book so well, that it outshines the book."
- Flightplan directed by Robert Schwentke (2005)
[5/10]
"Flightplan recreates Jodie Foster's character in Panic Room but puts her in a much bigger room (a jumbo jet) and with a bigger cast."
- Flyboys directed by Tony Bill (2006)
[6/10]
"Essentially, you should see Flyboys for the excellent dogfights. You need the basic story line so you will care enough about the pilots when they die, but otherwise the plot doesn't do much to enlighten the audience about Americans serving in the French military as some of the first wartime aviators."
- Ghost World directed by Terry Zwigoff (2001)
[7/10]
"Ghost World defies most of the conventions of both comedy and romance movies. The comedy comes in dark waves of irony and sarcasm. The romance doesn't follow a typical reunification and happily-ever-after ending."
- Hamlet directed by Michael Almereyda (2000)
[7/10]
"I don't think that this version with its modern setting brings too many young people to an appreciation of Shakespeare, but for those of us who have liked Shakespeare all along, it gives us some new ways of looking at a classic."
- Hearts in Atlantis directed by Scott Hicks (2001)
[6/10]
"Without Hopkins, Hearts would join the long list of ho-hum we-preferred-life-in-the-1950s movies."
- Henry V directed by Kenneth Branagh (1989)
[8/10]
"Branagh plays Henry V with and easy elegance, and he delivers the king's motivational speeches with marvelous interpretation and dynamics."
- High School Musical directed by Kenny Ortega (2006)
[5/10]
"It can happen -- a made for TV movie from Disney that doesn't suck. In fact High School Musical does a pretty good job at providing snappy songs, occasionally interesting choreography, and a less than lame plot."
- History of Violence, A directed by David Cronenberg (2005)
[6/10]
"A History of Violence asks serious questions about the generational effects of violence, but fails to provide any solid answers to these questions."
- Holes directed by Andrew Davis (2003)
[7/10]
"I would have to guess that the book provides more satisfactory development of Stanley's character than the film. I liked the film, and as with any good underdog story, we cheer for Stanley and Zero as they work to overcome both the oppression of their immediate situation and their family history."
- Hope Floats directed by Forest Whitaker (1997)
[3/10]
"Dull performances by all. Lackluster cinematography. Don't waste your time."
- Horse Whisperer, The directed by Robert Redford (1998)
[5/10]
"In order to enjoy The Horse Whisperer, you must meet at least five of the following six criteria: you like horses or movies about horses, you like to look at Robert Redford, you like movies with panoramic scenes of the American West, you like semi-tragic romance movies, and you are a woman. If you meet these criteria, then you will not even notice that 160 minutes passed by while watching The Horse Whisperer."
- Ice Storm, The directed by Ang Lee (1997)
[5/10]
"Director Ang Lee skillfully creates the bleak mood of The Ice Storm through carefully crafted scenes and an excellent cast that easily portray the film's hollow characters."
- Interpreter, The directed by Sydney Pollack (2005)
[6/10]
"I enjoyed watching The Interpreter, but I think with some grooming, it could have provided more thrills and a more satisfactory ending."
- Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk (1999)
[5/10]
"As the story starts out, you may experience some surprises, but since every page deals with shocking situations, the stimulus quickly wears down and the horrible quickly becomes mundane."
- Jakob the Liar directed by Peter Kassovitz (1999)
[6/10]
"Worth seeing once, but it won't loose much in the transition to home video."
- Joy Luck Club, The directed by Wayne Wang (1993)
[8/10]
"The Joy Luck Club examines the lives of eight women: four mothers and their daughters. Each mother went through harrowing experiences to come to the United States from pre-Communist China. And even though the daughters only know fragments of their mothers' stories, these events define major aspects of their personalities and their relationships with their mothers and others."
- Juno directed by Jason Reitman (2007)
[8/10]
"Juno does a good job at portraying a particular girl's experience with teen pregnancy, although I don't think you can extend this portrait much beyond Juno's character since she has more self-confidence and personal determination than most adults."
- L.I.E. directed by Michael Cuesta (2001)
[8/10]
"Through the excellent performances of Dano and Cox, L.I.E. embues each character with both positive and negative qualities. These people don't live in a black and white world, but in a grey world where we have to accept the good we can find."
- Lady in the Water directed by M. Night Shyamalan (2006)
[4/10]
"I think Shyamalan keeps trying to surpass his first big success and keeps failing dismally. At least Lady in the Water kept me guessing up to the very end. I had the entire plot of The Village worked out after seeing the first preview."
- Lake House, The directed by Alejandro Agresti (2006)
[6/10]
"Alas, we have only drab locations for a common love story with a cute, but unimaginative, gimmick."
- Lord of War directed by Andrew Niccol (2006)
[5/10]
"From the Lord of War trailers, I expected an action movie, but writer/director Andrew Niccol has infused his film with political messages that unfortunately interfere with my enjoyment of the film."
- Loverboy directed by Kevin Bacon (2006)
[5/10]
"I'm not sure what message director Kevin Bacon wanted me to take away from his film. As a moral tale, Loverboy shows that both neglect and over-protectiveness create dysfunctional relationships. We don't really see any contrasting non-dysfunctional relationships, so we don't have a counter-example to know what Bacon thinks a good relationship looks like."
- Ma Vie en Rose [My Life in Pink] directed by Alain Berliner (1997)
[5/10]
"Seven-year-old Ludovic (Georges Du Fresne) believes he's a girl. Somehow when the stork delivered him, Ludovic's second X chromosome fell in the garbage, leaving him with a male body."
- Magnolia directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (1999)
[8/10]
"Somehow, in spite of all the negative situations, Magnolia has a voyeuristic charm. I think we all can sympathize with one or more of the characters, and perhaps we realize (especially after the World Trade Center disaster) how easily outside events can pull our lives out of the track that we carefully planned an place us on a collision course with our past."
- Marie Antoinette directed by Sofia Coppola (2006)
[5/10]
"I find Marie Antoinette an interesting mood piece that doesn't tax the actors involved, except maybe with their period wardrobe. The soundtrack distracts from the tone of the film, and I got bored at many places, probably due to so much attention to detail in the costumes and sets at the expense of true biographical information."
- Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World directed by Peter Weir (2003)
[9/10]
"Master and Commander excels at presenting a picture of life on a nineteenth century naval vessel: close quarters, dirty living conditions, and a high likelihood of receiving severe wounds or dying."
- Matador, The directed by Richard Shepard (2005)
[5/10]
"In spite of the excellent acting of the parts, I cannot agree with the moral message of this film -- that one can benefit from the killing of other people."
- Mudge Boy, The directed by Michael Burke (2003)
[6/10]
"Writer and director Michael Burke does an excellent job at creating a portrait of Duncan Mudge, but he doesn't really take the story to a satisfying conclusion."
- Music of the Heart directed by Wes Craven (1999)
[5/10]
"Pamela Grey created an excellent script that demonstrates Roberta's personality and her caring for her students, and Wes Craven (Scream, A Nightmare on Elm Street) demonstrates that he can create emotions other than terror. Unfortunately, Meryl Streep never seemed comfortable in her role and always looked stiff and unnatural -- especially when playing the violin."
- Night Listener, The directed by Patrick Stettner (2006)
[5/10]
"The Night Listener doesn't necessarily keep you glued to the edge of your seat, but it does have enough mystery and intrigue to carry the story at a reasonably pace comfortably to the end."
- Omen, The directed by John Moore (2006)
[5/10]
"Even though each of the parts of the remake surpasses the scenes in the original, the sum of the parts doesn't surpass the effect of the original."
- Painted Veil, The directed by John Curran (2006)
[8/10]
"The Painted Veil makes a methodical study of a couple that starts out with a marriage of convenience, deal with adultery, and come to love each other more deeply than they every expected."
- Poseidon Adventure, The directed by Ronald Neame (1972)
[7/10]
"Classic disaster fare with good character development and some interesting religious philosophy thrown into the mix."
- Pursuit of Happyness, The directed by Gabriele Muccino (2006)
[6/10]
"Will Smith does a very good job portraying the desperation and despair, but the script doesn't allow him any room to display any range of emotions -- good depth, but no breadth."
- Quatre Cents Coups, Les [The 400 Blows] directed by François Truffaut (1959)
[10/10]
"Every time I watch François Truffaut's Les Quatre Cents Coups (The 400 Blows), I have scenes of the main character Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud) running through my head for days."
- Queen, The directed by Stephen Frears (2006)
[9/10]
"The Queen does something unusual -- it makes a fairly severe critique of monarchy in general while giving tribute to Queen Elizabeth II's years of service to her country."
- Quills directed by Philip Kaufman (2000)
[6/10]
"So how do you make a movie that documents the life or works of the Marquis de Sade, the person from whom we get the word sadism? Quills answers this question with, 'You don't,' but you can piggy-back your movie on his reputation."
- Road to Perdition directed by Sam Mendes (2002)
[6/10]
"Visually, Road to Perdition delivers almost a duotone effect with its high contrast and low color. In almost every scene, we feel the coldness of the gangster's soul -- often accompanied by rain. The visual appeal almost makes up for the cliched plot, but the heavy-handed salvation of the sweet angel child with a quickly attached anti-gun message takes away from the film's effectiveness."
- Rosemary's Baby directed by Roman Polanski (1968)
[8/10]
"Rosemary's Baby creates a very creepy film that builds to a frenetic pitch toward the end through a clever arrangement of finding evil in everyday events such as dinners with the neighbors, conversations in the laundry room, and doctor's visits."
- Seeker, The: The Dark Is Rising directed by David L. Cunningham (2007)
[6/10]
"The Seeker has it fun and scary moments, but the threat of evil -- in spite of its well demonstrated power -- feels hollow, and the teenage protagonist too easily defeats in five days a force that has had thousands of years to prepare."
- Shi mian mai fu [House of Flying Daggers] directed by Yimou Zhang (2004)
[6/10]
"Even if I weren't tired of watching martial artists dancing in the treetops, Yimou Zhang's House of Flying Daggers lacks the depth of story found in many of the recent Hong Kong martial arts epics such as Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and even his own Hero."
- Smoke Signals directed by Chris Eyre (1998)
[8/10]
"Smoke Signals succeeds on many levels: as a coming-of-age movie where two young men learn that they have more in common than they thought; as a road-trip movie; as a light comedy; and as a portrait of Native American life. Alexie successfully weaves these aspects together into a story that you can watch again and again."
- Solaris directed by Steven Soderbergh (2002)
[6/10]
"Tarkovsky's characters often deliver their lines in a flat tone, as if the characters not only believe the glass is half empty, but that it's filled with poison as well. In that sense, Soderbergh has made a 'happy' version of Tarkovsky's Solaris."
- Stand by Me directed by Rob Reiner (1986)
[8/10]
"Rarely does a collection of child actors have so much talent bundled together, and the list of talent doesn't stop with the main characters. Stand by Me also has excellent performances by young Kiefer Sutherland and John Cusack."
- Step Up directed by Anne Fletcher (2006)
[5/10]
"When you watch a movie like Step Up, you wish the producers had just left out the lame, connect-the-scenes plot and just given us twice as much dancing."
- Straight Story, The directed by David Lynch (1999)
[4/10]
"Imagine how bored would you get driving a riding lawn mower across Iowa? Now imagine watching a movie about a 73-year-old man driving a riding lawn mower across Iowa -- a serious movie, not a comedy. Now add a folksy violin ditty on an endless 30-second loop for 110 minutes of 5 mile-per-hour lawn mower adventures and you have The Straight Story."
- Syriana directed by Stephen Gaghan (2006)
[6/10]
"In spite of good performances by an amazing cast, the preachy message of Syriana turned me off."
- There Will Be Blood directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (2008)
[7/10]
"I think Upton Sinclair would approve of this adaptation of his novel. We watch the self-destruction of the main characters as they focus on their greed and lust for power, and we see these empty lives -- like black holes -- draw the goodness and life unwillingly out of the people who happen to cross their path."
- Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, The directed by Tommy Lee Jones (2005)
[4/10]
"Three Burials tries to make big symbolic and political statements but just fails to have the power to follow through with these intentions."
- United 93 directed by Paul Greengrass (2006)
[7/10]
"United 93 walks us through the transition from before 9/11 to after 9/11. Our lives take place with a much more hectic set of background noises playing than before, and with United 93, we watch the exact moment when the background noise increased."
- V for Vendetta directed by James McTeigue (2006)
[8/10]
"The twisting and engaging story line more than makes up for the 'comic book' characters, and director JamesMcTeigue displays an excellent balance of mystery, suspense, and violence."
- Village, The directed by M. Night Shyamalan (2004)
[5/10]
"Shyamalan has assembled a stellar cast, and the actors do their best with the script's questionable motivation and silly dialogue."
- Walk the Line directed by James Mangold (2005)
[7/10]
"Hats off to the casting director who discovered these hidden depths and talents in Joaquin Phoenix, who so completely takes on the persona of Johnny Cash that you might think Cash's spirit had returned and possessed Phoenix's body."
- War of the Worlds, The directed by Byron Haskin (1953)
[7/10]
"By today's standards, The War of the Worlds has pretty unbelievable effects, but you can tell that Haskin took enormous care with the effects available to him at the time. The effects do work well to establish the deadly nature of the Martians and the unbelievable firepower they could produce with even just a single craft."
- Wicker Man, The directed by Neil LaBute (2006)
[4/10]
"Perhaps another male lead could have given a more plausible performance, but then you would also have to deal with the pathetic script that makes even talented women like Ellen Burstyn sound like a brainwashed robot. Then again, perhaps we should leave well enough alone, just enjoy classic cult films on their own merits, and use big-budget Hollywood money make something altogether new."
- Wicker Man, The directed by Robin Hardy (1973)
[7/10]
"This original production far suprasses the recent remake."
- Wo Hu Cang Long [Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon] directed by Ang Lee (2000)
[9/10]
"I have tried to watch Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon with a critical eye, but the engaging story and the absolutely gorgeous cinematography always distract me from my critical view and by the end, I just sigh like you would after taking a bite of the most succulent cheesecake."
- World Trade Center directed by Oliver Stone (2006)
[6/10]
"Stone does an excellent job of developing his characters, in spite of having his main characters immobolized in a pile of rubble. He also never allows the story to get overly sentimental and avoids overtly manipulating the audience's emotions."
- Zerkalo (Зеркало) [The Mirror] directed by Andrei Tarkovsky (1975)
[7/10]
"Tarkovsky wants more of an emotional response than a rational one. He creates scenes of nostalgic memory combined with emotionally charged scenes of modern day family strife combined with a typical Russian fatalism about life. I think other Tarkovsky movies such as My Name Is Ivan and Stalker more successfully create an emotional impact on the viewer, but The Mirror still provides a pleasant experience, especially for fans of other Tarkovsky films."
- Zodiac, The directed by Alexander Bulkley (2006)
[5/10]
"The Zodiac tries to capture the zeitgeist of the San Francisco Bay area while the Zodiac serial killer actively killed victims and corresponded with the local press."
Average score: 6.33
